-LRB- Rolling Stone -RRB- -- After back-to-back stomach clutching renditions of `` Not Gon ' Cry '' and `` I 'm Going Down '' at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans Sunday night , Mary J. Blige pulled off an Oprah-worthy seminar on affirmation with `` Just Fine '' to close out the three-day fest , which celebrates black music and African-American culture .

The synth-heavy number pierced to the core of the capacity Louisiana Superdome crowd . As Blige danced around in a shimmering black mini-dress , the audience took over the number and launched into a sing-along that reached up to the fifth level of the arena .

Earlier , Blige told Rolling Stone , `` I do n't think fans come here to hear you talk about your new album . They come to hold their stomachs when you sing that song that you love so much . That 's what -LSB- the festival -RSB- is about . To get that nostalgia . You got ta give the people what they want . '' She certainly obliged .

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If Blige 's set was packaged as faith and forgiveness , then Saturday night 's headliner , Kanye West , was essentially id decked out in a sporty white blazer . The Chicago MC arrived through the air via a cable-enabled lift before he got off and had a Rudyard Kipling-inspired moment and walked through the crowd to reach the stage for `` Power . ''

Riffing off recent performances , West 's show was a mix of his Coachella set -LRB- in three acts -RRB- and his VMA performance -LRB- red suit -RRB- but with a nod to the Essence crowd , as he finished with a stirring musical testimony to his mother , `` Hey Mama . ''

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`` It feels so good to be back home , '' ` Ye told the audience -- not unlike Blige , preaching the power of healing . `` When I say home , I mean my people . I travel the world . I been around the world . I got into a little trouble . A little controversy here and there . But before I go any further in the show , I wan na thank you for coming out and still supporting me . ''

Friday night headliner Usher and Charlie Wilson -LRB- Friday 's penultimate performer -RRB- had an unofficial generational game of one-upmanship . Wilson commandeered the stage for what felt like an eternity , though in actuality it was much closer to two hours , still , surely more than his allotment . The former Gap Band singer ran through a series of his old cohort 's hits , from `` Outstanding '' to `` You Dropped a Bomb on Me . ''

Uncle Charlie , as he 's been dubbed by Snoop Dogg , cut into Usher 's constituency when he launched into `` There Goes My Baby . '' The song not only shares the title with one of Usher 's tracks , but the swooping song is best known -LRB- at least to the younger set -RRB- as Wilson 's dedication to Snoop and his wife when the couple renewed their vows . Wilson smiled , preened and pranced as the audience swayed from side to side .

A rejuvenated Usher , however , proved it 's still a younger man 's game . He also arrived from the sky like West , but once he landed -LRB- equipped with a helmet -RRB- , the pre-July 4th fireworks started . `` U Do n't Have to Call '' and `` You Make Me Wan na '' thundered throughout the dome . Shrieks echoed as leather-clad Ush slithered between dancers during `` Lil Freak '' and `` Trading Places . ''

But , much like Blige noted , the crowd wanted nostalgia and Usher offered it in heaps with a three-song Michael Jackson medley . It was a true `` OMG '' moment .

Copyright © 2011 Rolling Stone .

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The three-day festival celebrates black music and African-American culture

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Kanye West , decked out in a sporty white blazer , arrived via a cable-enabled lift

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Usher offered nostalgia with a three-song Michael Jackson medley